Goatherd

A spectacle in all the aspects and true luxury for navigation; Its coasts, their waters, their corners, the birds, its history…  To only 9 kilometers of the coast of Majorca is east archipelago formed by 19 islands of all the sizes, of which the major is the Great Goatherd with about 11 kilometers of surface of the 13 which it has all the set.

The relief is injured getting to have a height of 172 meters in its little surface. The unique level land is where all the torrents of the island near the precious natural harbor end whose entrance is marked by two lights located in the end of Llebeig and the End of Sa Creueta. In spite of being a deep port we do not have to trust, because with strong winds of the north it could become a complicated place, as they testify the numerous sunk old pecios in its entrance.

The visit is limited 50 boats that its anchorage stops must use the 50 buoys distributed in the bay and which they are of different colors following the length from our boat. White up to 12 meters of length, Yellows up to 15, Oranges up to 20 meters and red for the greatest yachts. In high season a single night, two nights for June and September and up to 7 days the rest of the year can only be cast anchor. In the wharf it is only possible to be berthed under emergencia or with a military permission. In order to dive the obtaining of an additional permission will be necessary and obvious totally the fishing in anyone of its modalities is prohibited. 

Goatherd, National Park from 1991 is one of most beautiful of all Spain. The visits are restricted and for his visit it is necessary to ask for an authorization to the Office of the Park in 971 725 010, to the Day-care center of the Park in 630 982 363 or to 971 77 1676. At time of summer she recommends herself to do it in time since there is to fill up several forms and usually she is delayed.

The number of boats is limited and the days of it spends the night. It is prohibited to cast anchor and one must be moored to one of the 50 buoys that there are. During the months of Julio and August it will be only allowed to remain one night, two in September and June and seven at the most the rest of the season.

It is prohibited to sail within the limits of the park, to disembark animal, to fish, to practice nautical sports and to spill any type of remainder. It is only allowed to disembark by the main wharf.

 The coast is very injured with deep coves and capricious forms that fill of beauty all their coast. The surface of the island is of calcareous formation what it has facilitated with the passage of the centuries, the formation of numerous caves and shelters. In their higher parts are plaster deposits and rock salt, and the vegetation is formed by pines savins and some shrubs between which we found the boxwood and the buckthorn.

In her the last fishing eagles can be contemplated, hawks of Eleonor, gulls cormorants and even a species of small lizard that only is in this island.

In spite of counting on one more a precipitation lower than the one of Majorca, 350 mm of annual rains allow him to offer two permanent fonts located one near the port and another one in the Ciola cove near the light.

Its history is dense from old times, as they testify the numerous archaeological deposits some of which date from before ours was. During medioevo beréberes was put under the pressure of pirates. The episode most terrible data of century 19, when about 8,000 caught French prisoners during the war of independence in the battle of Bailén were left by chance in Goatherd. Cases of anthropophagy, continuous deaths decimated to this population in an island that in optimum conditions would only be able to support to a maintained population of 75 people. In 1814 and after five years of sufferings, the 3600 survivors went repatriates to France, and in its memory a monolith near the port is raised. Until it does few years has been used like military training camp after his expropriation by the state in 1916, until his recent incorporation to the list of national parks.

In the bay that the natural harbor forms and near the castle that served as penitentiary for the French it formerly finds a peak and wharf surrounded by some constructions the military and now recovered for the use and management of the park.

In Cova Blava (Blue cave to 500 meters NNW of the cove of Santa Maria) a very spectacular and practicable cavity in pneumatic exists from which impressive games of lights of bluish tonalities are contemplated. It has 6 meters of height and 45 of depth.